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Center for Democracy and Technology
Center for Democracy and Technology reported $11.3 million in revenue and $8.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $89.73 went to program services, $5.53 to management and general costs and $4.74 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 96.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $463,225 (PRESIDENT & CEO). 23 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 21% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $8.8MFor context, the median across 132 covered civil rights, social action & advocacy charities: $84.11 programs, $11.40 management, $4.49 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$94.98 $11M
- Program service revenue$2.06 $235K
- Investment income$2.96 $339K
Other revenue was negative: −$167K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 89.7% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 5.5% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.7% | 4.4% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.05 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 96.4% | 94.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 2.1% | 0.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $463,225 | $321,771 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 5.28% | 1.81% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 23 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 21.9 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 13 of 13 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expensePrivacy & data: as technology permeates all facets of society, the personal data collected, used and shared by companies and governments has wide-ranging effects on people's lives. Cdt advances laws, policies and best practices to protect people's digital privacy, and to address unfair and discriminatory uses of people's data. We champion consumers' interests, with a particular focus on the rights of historically marginalized communities
Research: the research team conducts and supports original, objective research to inform current policy debates. The team examines novel questions that can give context to policy conversations - and builds bridges between researchers and policymakers, to support evidence- based policymaking. The research team works closely with cdt policy teams to identify research questions but conducts independent and objective research to address these questions
Equity in civic technology: as government agencies increasingly rely on data and technology to carry out their responsibilities, it is critical that they do so in ways that affirm individual privacy, respect civil rights, promote transparent and accountable oversight, and advance just social structures within the broader community. Cdt furthers these goals by creating solutions-oriented policy resources and actionable technical guidance
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT & CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $417,500 | $0 | $45,725 | $463,225 |
| VICE PRESIDENT OF POLICY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $258,597 | $0 | $50,173 | $308,770 |
| DIR., SEC. & SURVEILLANCE PROJECT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $196,598 | $0 | $44,598 | $241,196 |
| DIR., FREE EXPRESSION PROJECT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $195,000 | $0 | $2,054 | $197,054 |
| SR. COUNSEL COMP POL. & SECRETARY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $178,500 | $0 | $10,339 | $188,839 |
| DIR., CDT AI GOVERNANCE LAB Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $171,064 | $0 | $13,626 | $184,690 |
| SENIOR ADVISOR FOR AI GOVERNANCE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $165,267 | $0 | $1,791 | $167,058 |
| DIR., FIN. & OPS/TREAS. (FROM 10/24) Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $146,933 | $0 | $5,835 | $152,768 |
23 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Center for Democracy and Technology (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $805K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b13 · 13 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 545
- Volunteers Part I, line 612
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| EDGE RESEARCH Research | $237,050 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 1 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
9 private foundations reported grants to Center for Democracy and Technology totaling $4.1M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Center for Democracy and Technology's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Center for Democracy and Technology, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Center for Democracy and Technology spent in 2024, $89.73 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
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All civil rights, social action & advocacy charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Center for Democracy and Technology's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Center for Democracy and Technology reported that 89.7% of its $8.8 million in expenses went to program services, 5.5% to management and general and 4.7% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Center for Democracy and Technology pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Center for Democracy and Technology reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $463,225, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Center for Democracy and Technology get its money?
Of $11.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 96.4% came from contributions and grants and 2.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Center for Democracy and Technology a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 52-1905358 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202533219349301933 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202443209349319664 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202322769349301317 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202212179349300411 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202122789349300717 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202022939349300447 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 52-1905358: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.